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urarachu

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Jan 22, 2006
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154
Well a new vacuum arrived at my shop today....something I've been looking forward to very much...
 
The Riccar Brilliance!

It's Riccar and Simplicity's new line of vacuums. It's the little brother of the Radiance, their top model. The Radiance is a very advanced vacuum cleaner that uses both a direct-air motor, and a clean-air motor together to provide very good carpet cleaning, and also very excellent on-board tools, and sealed filtration. It's really quite the vacuum. Here's me excitedly putting it together.
 
Tank...

They've been tweaking the Riccar Radiances the past few years to perfection. There have been a couple kinks in the original design, but they've been ironed out (and they weren't deadly problems...it wasn't a Hoover Savvy or anything).

The thing is built like a tank. It has a 5 year warranty. It's a metal and nylon handle release. It's got a metal brushroll, with (well guarded) metal ends. It's got a permanent belt. It has a metal handle, and a metal cord hook. It has a bunch of features to protect the motors and the brushroll. It's really just an amazing machine.

I guess it very much reminds me of a Hoover Concept One, but with a very nice set of on-board tools. I want to sell a ton of these Brilliances!

Corey
 
so corey, would one of these "advanced" cleaners out-sweep a Dyson? isnt Dyson the best vacuum made today? (ducks and runs!)
 
Small fortune...

We sell the blue one for $649, and the top dog red Radiance is $799. Some people sell them for more (I know the retail on the red one is $899), but I think what we sell them for is pretty steep, for this city.

Everyone loves them though, and they will love them (now) for a long time! They have 5 and 6 year warrantys, and get a couple services included with the warranty. Very cool.

Corey
 
I currently have a Riccar Radiance-Its a great machine-but a few bad points--Compared to my Royals or Kirbys-like those better-they are more efficient-and actually perform better.The Radiance can clog easily--Don't allow it to pick up any toothpicks.They will clog the primary fan housing.Its a hassle to take down the machine to clear the clog.The dealer in my area is going to get the Brilliance in soon.From the pictures its a pretty cool looking machine.I do like the brushroll in the Radiance.the streamlined brushroll reminds me of some that are used in Eurekas.
 
True True...

Well the older radiances had a very pinched passage after the fan. I mean it was worse than an orecks. Buuuut riccar fixed that and made it much larger in the later versions.

I wouldn't dare pick up a toothpick in a radiance though....
 
dare i say, toothpicks are not suitable for ANY vacuum? certainly not the *clean air* type. would prolly clog many other vacs too.
 
I don't ususally pick up toothpicks, but I have before, and only with the central vac and it didn't clog that.

I have a Simplicity Synergy (same as the Radiance but with different colors. There are a few things that I definately like about this type of vacuum that not many other upright vacuums have, like how it is a direct air vacuum on carpet, but does attachment cleaning very well, it has sealed HEPA filtration, uses filtrete bags, and it does barefloors reallt well. I would say that its probably one of the best cleaning vacuums there is. The only vacuum with more power that I have is my RIccar central vac.
 
reggie, i hate to think about what might happen if you picked up a toothpick and it clogged the central vacuum pipes in the wall! OUCH! i imagine a Hoover Convertible style cleaner would prolly swallow one. but dont try this at home, picking up toothpicks with a vacuum cleaner is ASKING for trouble, its unwise. toothpicks clog the Windsor *sensors* at work all the time.
 
I do it as a test for clogging-so far no problems with the Kirbys or royals.Others---yes.And I wouldn't DARE pick up them with a central vac-I have had to clear clogs in the ones my mom used to have in two of the houses she lived in-A Black and Decker and a Nutone.I think it is just asking too much for the unit to try to "suck" thru all that piping!!and then the LONG hose.The "garage" intake on the units-right into the canister unit itself is indeed the MOST POWERFUL vac you can use in a home.In her home systems-the clogs were usually at a place where the tubing turns the corners.A big wad of dust or a peice of paper picked up can do it.
 
Actually very little power is lost in all the pipe if the system is installed correctly. There is a 2% loss of airflow in every 75' from the unit (including the hose), and the average sysem has a run of about 159-200' at the most. When you consider that a good central vac unit starts with around 150 CFM which is about the highest for a portable vacuum. The sharpest bend in a central should be right at the back of the inlet, if not, the system was installed badly, so anything that would stick in a bend will stick right at the inlet. Also, the system really only clogs if the unit is underpowered, I have picked up Kleenex, paper towels, rocks, and even plastic grocery bags with mine. And if there is any loss of the suction, the pipe was instaled incorrectly, causing a air leak. So, considering that my central vac unit is rated at 248 CFM and 136 IOW (inches of water lift), I would get about 244 CFM and 136 IOW at the end of the vacuum hose.
 
Actually very little power is lost in all the pipe if the system is installed correctly. There is a 2% loss of airflow in every 75' from the unit (including the hose), and the average sysem has a run of about 159-200' at the most. When you consider that a good central vac unit starts with around 150 CFM which is about the highest for a portable vacuum. The sharpest bend in a central should be right at the back of the inlet, if not, the system was installed badly, so anything that would stick in a bend will stick right at the inlet. Also, the system really only clogs if the unit is underpowered, I have picked up Kleenex, paper towels, rocks, and even plastic grocery bags with mine. And if there is any loss of the suction, the pipe was instaled incorrectly, causing a air leak. So, considering that my central vac unit is rated at 248 CFM and 136 IOW (inches of water lift), I would get about 244 CFM and 136 IOW at the end of the vacuum hose.
 
Beaver Dam

I sold Elux in the early 70's, starting with the 1205 and then saw the introduction of the Jubilee.
The electric hoses were new for the 1205. If a tooth pick, nail or straw got sideways, it would continue to block until it formed what we called a "Beaver Dam"
We hoped the block was at the power nozzle or in the wand. Too often, owners would devise devious ways to reach into the hose and drag out the blockage. Often they would pierce the hose insulation and cause the "electric" to fail. Most often the block was at the angled contour of the molded plastic hand grip on the hose. $56.00 dollars in 1973 for a replacement hose and the model 1205 sold for $259.00 with a 2 year gaurantee.
My latest fascination is with the Hoover Wind Tunnel Self Propelled with a bag. I sweep the thrift store for units with blocked hose or plugged air filter inside the bag compartment. Goodwill sells them here for $6.95. Vacuum price, good, bad or ugly, all $6.95. I clean them up and regift them.
I am amazed that relatively new vacuums that sold for $300.00 are tossed like yesterday's dish water.
I haven't seen an Elux for days and the chance of finding an Elux hose, in any kind of shape, is hopeless.
Another great icon of my past, gone.
Kelly
 
It sounds like the central systems I had to deal with were installed by the home builder--not a vacuum dealer that sells central units.I also had the job of emptying the units my mom had-the BD unit was easy to do-you just lifted the large bag out of it and put in another.The Nutone was another story-you had to carefully remove the large metal dirt bin-it was heavy-don't blame mom for not wanting to deal with it.And you had to dump it carefully in the trash-or their compost pile--several gallons of dirt-you would get a faceful of it.Also a filter inside the unit had to be cleaned-took it outside and shook it out.then put the machine back together.Today I would not want a central system.I like the portable ones much better --still feel they are more eficient.I don't like the trend of the "bagless" central units-its worse than emptying a Shop Vac.I liked the BD unit that used a bag--it was so much easier and cleaner to empty-kept telling Mom--"you could do this-see-just take out the full bag and put in another"The bag was not heavy like the bin on the Nutone.It was surprizing how heavy the bin got-seems like it held several gallons of dirt.On the Nutone system-they were several airlines that went into the attic-I was one of those that got clogged.It was strange how that system was installed.And the joint came apart for cleaning-would imagine that would cause an air loss.
 
J. Parker....

The Brilliance uses 2 (!!!) wonderful motors (a direct-air motor, followed by a clean-air motor) one after the other. It's the same set-up as used in the Riccar Radiance. The Brilliance is slightly cheapened model, that sells for a lower price. The big differences are the brushroll, and the filters. Both vacuums are very similar, and very wonderful.

I have not decided whether the two motor set-up benefits the actual carpet cleaning ability of the vacuum, but I will say this. It picks up very very very well (like a snazzy concept one or other well designed fan-first vacuum), but it has the convenient luxury of on-board tools, that have legitimately good suction. There is no compromise with the Radiance or Brilliance. You get both in one vacuum, and it's really an advanced design. I am very excited to see the rest of the line, as it gets released! Go Tacony. They rule.

Corey
 
She's pretty loud....

especially compared to other Riccars. But it has a very distinct sound that I like. The noise level is like a Hoover Concept I guess...only less ugly.

It is not a quiet vacuum. But we've never had a customer complain about it being a loud vacuum either.
 
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